11 Jan 201906:36am IST

11 Jan 201906:36am IST

Report byTeam Herald

PANJIM: A day after former BJP Minister Mahadev Naik expressed his willingness to contest on Congress ticket from Shiroda the constituency for the upcoming by-elections, the Rahul Gandhi led party has said that it is ready to have dialogues with everyone, including its former leaders, to defeat the defectors.

However, Congress clarified that “taking into confidence for dialogues does not mean giving ticket or inducting into party”.

Naik, former Mandrem MLA, has an 18-year-long stint in Congress between 1994-2002 before contesting election on BJP ticket in the year 2007.

Speaking to media persons, Congress chief spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar said that party will hold dialogues with each and everyone include some of its former leaders, to ensure defeat of the defectors.

“We will take everyone into confidence. We will hold dialogues We will hold dialogue even with Mahadev Naik to defeat party defectors,” he said.

“But having dialogues or taking into confidence does not mean we will give anyone ticket or induct into party,” he said responding to a question whether it means that party is open for induction of its former leaders like Naik.

The Shiroda seat has fallen vacant after then Congress MLA Subhash Shirodkar left the party in October last year to join BJP. Naik was defeated by Shirodkar in 2017 assembly election.

On Wednesday, Naik said that he has decided to contest on Congress ticket from Shiroda, if party offers him the ticket. “BJP has already decided their candidate by inducting Shirodkar in the party. My aim is to defeat Shirodkar. The people have told me that I can do it by contesting on Congress ticket,” he had said.

Meanwhile, Kawthankar said that party has already initiated process to identify candidates for Lok Sabha polls, which are due in April-May.